Month: August 2015

There are still a few weeks of summer rosé drinking left

Posted on by RobDomaine

Whilst the sun is still out and it feels like summer there’s no denying that a crisp glass of rosé wine can hit the spot like nothing else. We spoke to Mathieu Crosnier, winemaker for Domaine du Grand Mayne since 2011, and General Manager of the company in France, down at the vineyard, about the things he likes to eat with Domaine de Grand Mayne’s glorious 2014 Rosé.

“Many things can be good with rosé”, said Mathieu. “One of my favourite things to eat is late summer tomatoes. And whilst I wouldn’t normally recommend an English chef over a French recipe, this Tomato Tart by Jamie Oliver is really great and easy to make. This beautiful tomato tart also works well with our 2014 Sauvignon.

“If you’re after something a bit more summery, however, you can also add a bit more mustard on the pastry and even some thin, dry ham on the top. Some of my favourite types of tomatoes to eat with rosé wine include Heart of Ox, pineapple tomatoes, Green Zebra, Rose de Berne, Black Krim and small cherry tomatoes.

But if you’re after something with rather more punch, to go with your rosé wine then, for me, Prawns a la Plancha is perfect. Sitting out in the evening sun with a large plate of this and an even larger glass of Domain de Grand Mayne 2014 Rosé? What could be better in life?”

You can read more about our rosé wine here… and whilst it says it can be kept for one or two years, we suspect it won’t see out the summer, once you taste it!

It’s been a scorcher this summer and that’s good news for wine lovers

Posted on by RobDomaine

Whilst it might have been a wet and windy summer here in the UK, down on the Côtes de Duras France has been experiencing its third hottest summer since 1990 – and that’s good news for the wines produced from this summer’s harvest. Whilst Mathieu and the team have had a hard time making sure things didn’t dry out too much, the heat has produced really healthy vines, drying up any hint of the dampness that can lead to fungus diseases and a negative impact on the grapes.

There’s no denying that it’s a fine line to walk, however. Only two weeks ago Mathieu was commenting that the “hot weather is starting to be too much for the vines”. With only scorching heat there is the worry that the vines will dry out too much and, those that survive, will provide only small fruit. However, with careful management (and some much needed rain more recently) things have turned the right way. The heat has kept the vines free from disease and the recent rain has provided much needed relief. As Mathieu was telling us this week, “now things are growing well we want dry and hot weather during the days and cool during the nights…”

We’re keeping everything crossed that we get exactly that… and we’re looking forward to this year’s crop as exceptionally good quality. We will keep you updated as the summer heads towards harvest.

Domaine du Grand Mayne at la Fête des Vignerons de Duras

Posted on by RobDomaine

On 9th August 2015 Domaine du Grand Mayne was proud to take part in the annual Côtes de Duras wine fair. Situated in the midst of the walled medieval city the day is full of festivities celebrating the wine of the region. Run for 24 years and attracting over 15,000 people, this single day offers visitors to the region vineyard visits, music and a chance to taste of 150 of the local wines.

Earlier this year we were awarded Ambassador status by the Appellation Côtes du Duras, winning 4 distinctions for our Sauvignon 2013, Reserve white 2012, Merlot Cabernet 2012 and Reserve red 2011. We were pleased to be able to play a big part in the day’s festivities with tastings and a chance to enjoy some amazing music, wine and fun.

 

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Domaine du Grand Mayne / rock / Wine #grandmayne #rock #wine

A video posted by Domaine Du Grand Mayne (@grand_mayne) on

What’s been happening at the vineyard this month?

Posted on by RobDomaine

News of awards, harvest and other things going on at the vineyard in August.

  •  Véraison is a viticulture (grape-growing) term meaning “the onset of ripening”. It is originally French, but has been adopted into English use. The official definition of véraison is “change of colour of the grape berries.” This month we’ve been checking that this maturation has taken place successfully and the berries have an increasing amount of sugar in them.
  • Following several weeks of heatwave, we’ve also had some much welcome rain. This has meant the team spending time checking all the vines to make sure they have remained free from disease.
  • In the cellar we’re working hard to organise things for the harvest. Fifi is fitting the harvest machine and we’re all planning the weekend for when our shareholders visit, as well as preparing barrels to rack the 2014 white and red wines.
  • Hector has joined the team to help out, as things get busier. He has been working on personalised labelling as well as running tastings in the shop.
  • We’re looking forward to hearing the results of the latest Hachette guide. We’re confident that we have received some awards but won’t know the number of stars, or the wines chosen until the end of August/beginning of September.